Snippets of Downshire Life – The Miracle Marathon

 

The Finchbottom Vale nestles comfortably between the Ancient Dancingdean Forest to the south and the rolling Pepperstock Hills in the north, and to the east 15 miles inland from Sharpington-By-Sea, equidistant between the seaside resort and Pepperstock Green was the rambling village of Brookley and at its heart were the churches of St Lucy and St Mildred’s and the Vicar of St Lucy’s was Reverend Ashleigh Bell, and the third weekend of advent was a test of endurance, which she called her “Miracle Marathon”,

St Lucy’s Day on Friday, The Carol Concert on Saturday night, the Sunday Service with the lighting of the third candle of advent, followed by Christingle in the afternoon, but on the Second Sunday of Advent all was not well.

 

On Sunday Morning Libby Barr and her brother Stephen were walking towards the church, but when they reached Stephenson’s corner store Stephen said

“I’m just going to get a paper”

“Ok I’ll see you in there” she replied and carried on walking.

 

With his paper in hand he pressed on for the Church and was surprised to see Libby outside St Lucy’s church engaged in conversation with the Vicar, who he believed was called, Ashleigh Bell.

He reached them about the same time as two mature ladies who were in the company of a younger man, who he judged must be Chris Baker, as his sisters demeanour changed when she saw him, and he heard the Vicar say.

“It’s just one thing after another” Ashleigh was saying

“It’s St Lucy’s day on Friday and next weekend we have the Third Advent Service, the Carol Concert and Christingle”

“What’s the matter? Is life testing your patience Vicar?”

Chris asked cheerfully

“No, it’s testing my faith,” she snapped without humour and went inside.

“Now look what you’ve done” Mature lady number one said and followed in the Vicars footsteps.

Mature Lady Number two just looked at him and tutted and then followed the other one.

“I think I’ll go back to bed,” he said to Libby, who blushed.

“What was the Vicar saying anyway?” he added

“The heating system has packed up” Libby replied

“Oh great” he said

There was a bit of an awkward silence and then he said

“Anyway, what are you doing here? I thought you were away on family business”

“I am… I mean… I was, I brought it with me instead” she said and then almost as an after thought

“Oh, by the way this is my brother Stephen”

Stephen was as different from Libby as it was possible to get.

He was the fat to her thin, the short to her tall, and the busty to her flat.

But in one obvious way there was no difference at all he had the same friendly open face, and Chris shook his hand warmly.

“Stephen stayed at mine last night” she added

“So, you’re the family business?”

“Yes, pitiful isn’t it?” He replied and laughed

 

As they came out the church Libby said

“I rather enjoyed that, she gives a good sermon, even if it was a bit chilly in there”

“Come on over to the Fiddlers and I’ll buy you both lunch” he suggested “That’ll warm you up”

 

At the Fiddlers Elbow, the conversation turned back to the Vicar.

“I wouldn’t want you to get the wrong idea, it was very out of character” he said in defense of Ashleigh

“It’s just such a busy time for her”

“Don’t worry” Libby said, “I wasn’t offended, and I like Ashleigh”

“Good” Chris said, “It’s not like her to snap like that, the plumbing problem must really be bothering her”

“I thought the same thing” Libby said and added

“Anyway, Steve and I have been talking”

“What about?” He asked

“The plumbing” she said

“I didn’t know that was your area of expertise” Chris said

“I thought you were property magnates”

“Kind of” Steve replied and laughed

“We buy old houses and do them up, either for sale of let” he said

“But as part of the process we strip out and salvage a lot of stuff”

“So, what did you have in mind?” Chris asked

“Well it’s not a complicated system,” Steven interjected “We could easily patch it up in the short term, to get them through Christmas, replace a few pipes and put in a better pump, and then we could look at a more permanent solution in the New Year, probably replace the whole thing”  

“They don’t have much money though” Chris added

“Not an issue” Libby said, “we know people who know people, and Steve and I can do the fitting”

“But I thought you were a “suit”” he said to Libby 

“I am” she replied proudly “but I had to do a lot of grafting before I got the suit”

“Are you sure we can do it?” he asked

“We?” Libby said

“Mr. Solicitor is going to get his hands dirty?” she asked disdainfully

“How do you think I managed to fund my education?” he retorted and they both nodded.

Well he had been feeling rather guilty about his earlier flippancy with the Vicar, so it was with the most selfish of motives that he suggested they go and make her day.

 

 

Ashleigh Bell burst into tears when Libby and Steven put their proposal to her.

“It’s divine providence” Ashleigh sobbed as she hugged them both “I prayed for a solution and here you are”

She was so overcome she fainted away in Libby’s long gangly arms.

Steven and Chris made a tactical withdrawal and Libby stayed with Ashleigh for a while afterwards, and they took a walk around the village green and got to know each other.

He was also from Northchapel like Libby, but he was still living there until he sold his house.

His marriage had just ended badly, and he just wanted to off load the house and draw a line under an unhappy episode in his life.

“I wouldn’t mind living here” Steven said “first impressions and all that”

“I wouldn’t live anywhere else” Chris admitted “but houses don’t come up for sale here very often”

“I can understand why”

 

When Libby finally reappeared, it was clear that she had been crying as well.

“Is everything ok?” Steven asked “She was really overcome”

“Yes, but she also has a fever from spending so much time in that draughty old church with no heating on” Libby said “I’ve put her to bed”

“Will she be alright on her own?” Chris asked

“I’m going to pop back in a little while” Libby said

“I don’t mind keeping you company” her brother said, and Chris concurred

“Me too”

Libby smiled at the pair and she was a little quiet for the rest of the afternoon.

 

 

Stephens first day in the village proved to be a bit of an eventful one for a Sunday, and if Sunday had been an eventful day then it merely heralded the beginning of an even more eventful week to come.

 

On Monday morning Libby and Stephen summoned Chris from his bed early to start working on St Lucy’s plumbing and they had a productive morning.

Just before midday Stephen Barr was removing some lengths of old, often patched copper pipe, when he heard someone behind him and he turned around to see it was Ashleigh Bell.

“Hello Stephen” she said

“Hello Vicar, you surprised me” he said “You should be resting”

Then she surprised him again by giving him a bear hug almost crushing his ribcage and kissed his cheek several times.

“You’ve saved my life” The Vicar said and was about to hurry away, when she went very pale and swooned and would have ended up on the church floor had Stephen not caught her.

“Libby! Chris!” he called

 

“What’s going on?” his sister asked and then she saw Stephen holding the Vicar

“Oh God what’s she doing here?” she snapped “She’s supposed to be at the Vicarage in bed”

“Well let’s get her back there then” he said

“I don’t want to go” the Vicar protested

“Well you’re going” Stephen said “so hush”

“You’re so bossy” Ashleigh said before she faded away again

 

Before they left the church, they told Chris what they were doing and once back at the Vicarage they quickly got Ashleigh back to bed.

“I’ll get the Doc” Libby said

“I’d better stay and make sure she stays put” Stephen said, and Ashleigh blew a raspberry

“How very ecclesiastical” he said, and she muttered something illegible but made no further protest

 

“Please don’t make stay in bed, I’ve got so much to do” she pleaded

“It’s for your own good” he said

“But its St Lucy’s day on Thursday” she protested

“No, it’s not”

“What?”

“St Lucy’s day is on Friday” he pointed out

“Oh”

“So, what do you think you should do?”

“Do as I’m told, rest and get better” she said meekly

“Is the correct answer, now go to sleep”

“Thank you” she said quietly

 

They took it in turns to sit with her for the next 48 hours with her Verger, Brenda, taking the evening shift so any time he lost during the day he made up in the evening.

 

By the end of Tuesday old the dodgy pipework was out and by the

Ten o’clock that night all the new ones were in, which meant that on Wednesday they just had to service the boiler and install the new pumps.

 

The Vicar was confined to the Vicarage until Wednesday, and it was lunchtime when an anxious Ashleigh confronted Stephen about letting her go to the church.

“Eat your soup” he responded, and her shoulders slumped “And then I’ll walk you over to St Lucy’s”

“Really?” she asked, and he nodded so she began to wolf down her soup

“Slow down” he said with a chuckle, “you’ll get indigestion”

 

She finished her soup in no time flat and leapt up and said

“Come on let’s go”

“Alright, alright, you need to wrap up warm, its bitter cold out there” he insisted

“Yes mum” she said and grinned, and as she put her stout shoes on he found her coat, hat, scarf and gloves

“I don’t need all that, just the coat will be enough”

“You wear it all or you don’t go” he insisted

“Did I mention that you’re bossy?” she said

“Several times”

She reluctantly pulled the hat on and he put the scarf around her neck and then as he was buttoning her coat she burped

“Sorry” she said and grinned again

“I told you, you were eating too fast” and smiled

“I know” she said resignedly “Now let’s go”

“Gloves” he retorted

 

Once she was fully dressed to his satisfaction they stepped outside the front door and an icy north-easterly wind almost cut them in two

“It’s freezing” she said

“So, I was right then?”

“Yes, you were” she conceded and then she shivered

“Can I hold your arm?”

“Of course, you can” he said, and they walked slowly across to the church.

 

Libby was by the door when they arrived and after embracing Ashleigh she said

“You’re just in time, we’re about to fire up the boiler”

“Time for a quick prayer then” she said and walked slowly down the aisle, but she only got half way before she had to use one hand to support her weight on the pew, so Stephen rushed to help her and as Chris joined Libby they exchanged a look.

 

After a brief prayer Stephen helped Ashleigh down the stairs to the room where the boiler was housed, Chris had already carried a chair down, so the Vicar could sit and have a Grandstand seat.

“I’m alright standing” she said, and Stephen gave her a look, so she sat, and Stephen stood beside her.

“Ok light the pilot light” Libby said as she fiddled with the control panel

“Done” Chris said

“Here goes!” Libby announced, and Ashleigh took hold of Stephens’s hand and after a few moments of anti-climax the boiler roared into life.

“Thank you, God,” Ashleigh said and began to cry, so Stephen knelt down to comfort her and the other two made themselves scarce.

 

While Stephen was comforting the Vicar Chris and Libby were checking the radiators and pipework to make sure the heat was circulating around the system,

They had just completed their examination as Stephen was helping a clearly exhausted Ashleigh up the steps.

“Is everything ok?” she asked weekly

“It is” Libby confirmed “but we’ll have to leave it running at maximum in order to penetrate the chill”

“Ok” she responded but Stephen interrupted

“I’ll explain it to her later, when she can take it in”

And with that he shepherded her away and back to the Vicarage and settled her down.

“No more outings until Friday” he said

“You’re just like my mum” she said sleepily

“Well you need mothering”

“You can have the job” Ashleigh said quietly and then she was asleep.

 

Twenty minutes later he left the Vicarage and walked to his sister Libby’s house, and got there just as she was leaving

“Hi Honey, is she ok?”

“I put her to bed and she’s sleeping soundly”

“Will she be ok for Friday?” she asked

“I don’t know, we’ll know better tomorrow” he said, and she nodded before saying

“I’m going into the office to catch up a bit, are you coming?”

“No, I’m going to stick around the village through the weekend if that’s ok” he said “there’s plenty I can do with my laptop”

“I thought you probably would, stay as long as you like” she replied and kissed his cheek “I’ll see you later”

 

He spent a little over four hours sitting in the Vicarage with his laptop open as he waded his way through a backlog of email correspondence, until the Verger, Brenda, arrived.

And he spent a further half an hour talking to her about the following day, then she went to check on the patient.

She came back down about ten minutes later and said

“She’d like some soup, and she wants you to do it and take it up, she was most insistent”

So, he did as he was instructed and at her request, sat with her while she ate it, there was no conversation, just eating the soup without spilling any took all her concentration, then she gave him the tray and settled down again and he went to the door.

“I’ll see you tomorrow” he said and turned off the light 

“Good night mum” she retorted

  

Brenda said she would stay the night just in case she got the wanderlust and he promised to be back first thing next morning.

After he left the Vicarage he went across the road to the Fiddlers Elbow and had a very acceptable Ham, Egg and Chips and a couple of pints.

“Come again” the barmaid said as he put his plate and mug on the counter

“I will for sure” Stephen retorted

The Landlord, Glen said

“But I’ll warn you now we don’t do the normal menu on Friday because of St Lucy’s Day, it’s just Burgers, Hot Dogs and Bacon Butties”

“Oh, whys that?”

“Well its always bitter cold and people just want something hot and they want it quick” he explained “in fact when it’s really cold like this year we watch it from the function room upstairs”

“Is it a good view from up there then?” Stephen asked

“Very” Glen replied

“Then I’d like to ask a favour” Stephen said

   

The next day, Ashleigh Bell was much improved, and had her appetite back, so he made her a proper breakfast which she polished off in no time flat, and subsequently she spent more time awake that asleep, and talked virtually nonstop, it was only when she slowed down that he knew she was tiring so he would put a blanket over her and she would doze in the armchair for an hour of two, then she would awake with recharged batteries. 

 

Stephen stayed with her well into the evening, and only left once she had settled down for the night, she was sufficiently on the mend that there was no need for anyone to stay overnight, but he was back at the Vicarage to find she was not only already up, but she was showered and dressed.

“My, you’re up bright and early” he said

“Yes, I’m fighting fit and rearing to go” she said “it’s a big day”

 

It was St Lucy’s Day, a big day in the Village and an important one in the County.

St Lucy was the Patron Saint of Downshire and as a result there were numerous churches in the County bearing her name and it a special day for those churches and the communities they served.

It all began once the darkness had fully descended with a multidenominational service of celebration and then after the church service, a parade of school children from St Lucy’s and St Hilda’s schools process through the village carrying their Lucy lights and then they throw them onto the bonfire to light the Lucy fire on the village green.

It’s all very pagan and a Swedish tradition originally, a mixture of the Christian and the pagan really, it is believed that St Lucy’s light can lengthen the days of winter.

The St Lucy’s day festival was always well attended as its such a unique event in the church calendar.

Christians from churches far and wide attended the service and a healthy crowd both church and secular turned out for the parade and the bonfire.  

 

“It is a big day” he agreed “But if you overdo it today you’ll never manage to get through the weekend”

“Well I’ll conserve my energy then and let you make my breakfast” she said and laughed

“Of course, I’ll make breakfast for you” he said “But I’m serious about you not overdoing it”

“But I don’t want to miss it” she said glumly

“I’m not suggesting you do” he said

“I don’t understand” she said suspiciously

“I’m suggesting a compromise” he said “you officiate at the celebration service, but not the procession”

“But….”

“Brenda will stand in for you on the parade”

“But I’ll miss the bonfire” she said

“No, you won’t, Glen at the pub has said that you can watch from his function room….”

“But…”

“…. While you’re eating bacon sandwiches”

“Will there be beer?”

“There could be beer”

“And where will you be?” she asked

“Next to you” he replied

 

St Lucy’s Day went without a hitch and as Stephen walked her back to the vicarage she said

“You were right, I would have been wiped out if I’d done the procession as well”

“And you enjoyed it at the pub” he said

“The Bacon butties and the Beer were good” she said and sniggered

“You can laugh now but you’ll be pining for me tomorrow” he said

“Why? Where will you be?” she asked with alarm

“I have to go home” he said

“Are you not coming back?” she asked pitifully “For the Carol Concert I mean”

“I’ll be back” he said “But I need some fresh clothes, I was only planning on staying for the weekend and I’ve been here all week” 

“Oh, I see”

“So, you will have to cook your own breakfast in the morning and I’m trusting you to behave and then I will see you before the Concert” he said

“I could come too” she suggested “That way you can keep an eye on me, and you could buy me breakfast instead, and lunch”

“Don’t you think that’s taking advantage of my good nature?” he said, and she lowered her head and looked at her feet in response

“Got you” he added “I’ll pick you up at nine”

And when she lifted her head he kissed her forehead.

 

She enjoyed the outing, even if it was only to Northchapel, she hadn’t left the Village for more than a month, they had breakfast at a roadside greasy spoon and lunch at his house and she slept pretty much all of the time she was in the car, but she was glad she went, and he was glad she was there.

 

Stephen got her back to the Village in plenty of time for her to have a bath and get herself ready for the Carol Concert.

With the success of St Lucy’s day under her belt she approached the next leg of the marathon with renewed vigour.

The Carol Concert on Saturday night was an all ticket occasion and as always it was performed to a packed house, one of whom was Stephen Barr.

However, Ashleigh wasn’t able to rest on her laurels because the next morning brought the Sunday Service and the lighting of the third candle of advent which again went without a hitch.

 

After another success with the morning service going off without a hitch and there was just time for a light lunch with Stephen before she was off again with the Christingle.

 

The Christingle Service has become ingrained in Anglican worship though it has its origins in Eastern Europe and the Christingle Service is a Service of candle lights where very many years ago people gathered in the street, sang carols and collected gifts to help the less fortunate in the community.

It is a beautiful candle lit service of hymns, carols, recitations and bible readings, but Christingle goes beyond a candle light service and it tells a story.

A story is told with the symbolic use of the following items:
An orange representing the world.
A red ribbon tied around the orange to symbolize the blood of Jesus shed for his people.
Toothpicks decorated with dried fruits and sweets are placed at the four corners of the orange representing all the people of the world.
A lighted candle in the centre of the orange represents the gift of the light of Christ to the world.

Firstly, the children make the Christingle lights in Sunday school, and then they carry them proudly in procession into the church where they are lit for the service.

 

By Sunday evening it was over, Ashleigh had got through it, and the miracle marathon had been completed and she looked visibly relieved and hugged Stephen who had been on hand at every stage of the proceedings, watching, supporting and worshipping.

 

It certainly had been a funny week, a week in which Chris, Libby and Stephen had saved the day, and Ashleigh Bell’s sanity and Ashleigh had survived the miracle marathon and had made a significant discovery.

 

The following week by comparison was a quiet one and she had to admit to herself and Stephen, that the stresses and strains of the previous week had taken its toll on Ashleigh but was no more serious than being thoroughly run down and had been advised by the Doctor to take complete bed rest for the week which would hopefully put her right and she would be strong enough to participate on the following Sunday.

Throughout the week Stephen had been at her side, keeping her in check and making her happy and by Saturday Morning she was ready to take on the world and on Saturday morning she went to the Church with her Verger Brenda to make sure everything was in hand for the next day while Stephen walked to his sister’s House where she was having coffee with her boyfriend Chris.

Libby and Chris Baker had become an item, either before, during or after the Christingle, he wasn’t quite sure which.

“Hi Steve” Chris said “I’ve just heard something from one of my clients that may be of interest if you were serious about wanting to live in the village, there is a house coming on the market very soon that you might be interested in”

“That good of you to let me know” he said “But there has been a change in my circumstances”

“What change?” his sister asked

“I fell in love” he said simply

“So, tell us something we don’t know” she snapped “You need to tell her, not us”

“I have told her” h said

“And?” Chris and Libby Chorused

“We’re engaged” he told them.

“That’s fantastic,” Chris said genuinely, and Libby cried before she hugged her brother.